Litle by Litle, Dudley Dursley's lost year
by GrandmaBeth
Summary: Enlightenment must come little by little - otherwise it would overwhelm.   Idries Shah  What did happen to the Dursley's the year Harry was on the run?  I amnot JKR, if you recognize it as hers it is, if not my imagination and/or research came up with it
1. The begining

Enlightenment must come little by little - otherwise it would overwhelm.  
**Idries Shah**

…..

First you may want to re-read the first part of JKR's Deathly Hallows to refresh your memory of the Dursley's parting from Harry.

Second readers of my other fan-fics, especially Teddy, will recognize this Dudley. While I will keep to the spirit of my past work and will not counter any cannon JKR has uttered I may have some small discrepancies between what I have written in the past. Please bear with me, I'll do my best. But cross checking my past works too many times makes the muse fall asleep.

JKR has never said where the Dursley's were taken. But it had to be close enough for Diggle and Jones to attend meetings.

The Death Eaters raid Diggle's home and it is burned, according to cannon.

Well here we go!

UDUDUD

Dudley sat in the uncomfortable silence of the back of his dad's car, his mum beside him, the witch and wizard in the front with his dad.

They had only gone a few blocks when strange lights lit the sky and sounds, not unlike the special effects of his PS2 war games, could be heard.

The sounds had an immediate effect on the two magical members of their group. Pulling her wand, the witch began scanning the sky. "Dedalus we have to go back! They are in trouble!"

"Hestia you know we can't. Moody gave us clear instructions we have to get Harry's family to safety!"

"But what if Harry is in danger? What happens if he dies? He's our only hope! I can't sit idly by and not try to save him!"

All discussion was suddenly stopped as a large BANG explodes on top of the car. Instantly the witch lunged in to the back seat and grabbed Dudley's arm. Before he even had time to register the sound he felt a weird pulling sensation and found himself not in the car but in a tiny poorly lit room, the witch still holding his arm tightly.

"I demand you let go of me this instance!" Dudley's mum's strident voice cut through the darkness. "Dudleykins is momma's baby boy all right? This evil woman didn't hurt my precious boy did she?"

A pop interrupted Petunia. "WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS? I DEMAND YOU RETURN US TO OUR CAR IMMEDIATELY!" Vernon's angry shout filled the small room. The wizard's wand glowed and Dudley's dad looked like the fellows on TV did after you hit mute.

"What have you done to my husband?" Petunia took a deep breath but never got the chance to continue her tirade. The witch's wand glowed and she joined her husband forming words with no sound.

The wizard turned toward Dudley, one eyebrow raised. Big D raised his hands with a shrug as if to say 'I'm all right mate, no worries.'

"Hestia I need to go back to find out what happened. You know the drill if I'm not back in 15 min on to the next safe house. Will you be able to handle this lot?"

The witch nodded her lips a thin compressed line as she glowered at Mr. and Mrs. Dursley.

With a pop the wizard disappeared. 10 tense minutes followed. Dudley's mum and dad had finally given up the attempt to speak. The room was silent, the witch pacing her wand at the ready. "Dudley do you understand what has happened?" Her sudden question startled him.

He nodded and softly replied, "Something has gone terribly wrong. Do you think Harry is…dead?" Unknown to him tears began to run down his cheeks. Suddenly the change that had begun the awful night when he and Harry had been attacked by dementors became solid. He knew, without a doubt that he wanted his cousin to live. He wanted to have a chance to beg forgiveness and try to repair all the wrong he had done.

Before the witch could answer the wizard appeared with a pop. He was holding a familiar looking cage, inside was a white owl, a large hole in the center of its chest. "This is what hit the car."

Whatever the wizard planned to say next was erased by Dudley falling to his knees, a primal keening filling the air, as he clutched the cage to his chest. 'Oh my God! Harry's owl! Dead! That must mean he was too! No! No!' Dudley knew no more as his so recently awakened heart broke at the thought and blackness descended.

St Agnes exists in a contented time-warp, with a patchwork of small fields bordered by tall hedges, just like rural England of yesteryear. Dainty shops sell bulbs and postcards, and the pretty church commemorates one of the many ships that have come to grief on the rocks and reefs. A prayer on the wall reminds us of the harsh lives of previous generations, with its bitter-sweet message: "We pray Thee Lord, not that wrecks should happen, but if they do Thou wilt guide them to the Scilly Isles for the benefit of the poor inhabitants." - The independent, on-line, uk travel.

…

The next that Dudley knew he was in a soft comfortable bed the smell of sea and rich earth greeting his nose. He opened his eyes to see the head of his mum, lying on the coverlet beside him. He reached a hand toward her to smooth her unusually untidy hair.

Petunia sat up with a start. "Oh Dudleykins! Your awake! VERNON! VERNON! Get the doctor! Dudley is awake!"

A kind older country doctor soon was ushered in by Dudley's dad and the witch. After listening to his heart and checking his reflexes he pronounced the patient well enough to get out of bed. "You've had quite a shock young man. I don't need to tell you that you are in no shape to put added stresses on yourself. But while you are here with us, with your help, I intend for you to get fit enough to celebrate the coming time when that cousin of yours defeats he-who-must-not-be-named!"

Waves of realization poured over Dudley, first this man must be a wizard, and second Harry was alive!

So began my Fan fiction "Uncle Dudley". Seems dear Dudleykins wants' to tell about about what happened that year they were in hiding, so welcome to:

'Little by little – Dudley Dursley's lost year'


	2. The reeducation of Dudley Dursley

For as long as he could remember Dudley's mum had showered him with food, huge adult sized portions. He had ate it, overfilling himself to prove to her he was her 'Dudleykins, her favorite, the best little boy in the world'.

Now the sight of the greasy, starchy huge servings of overly sweetened or salted food made him want to retch.

That night the dementors had attacked him and Harry he had really seen what he was, a large, overindulged toddler, who got what he wanted by throwing tempers and conjoiling love from his parents.

He had a lot of thinking to do and St. Anges was the perfect place for that. Morning would find him up early, before his mum could fry the dozen or so eggs and the piles of heavy pancakes. He would grab a slice of homemade bread and a piece of fruit, a jug of water and head out to walk.

The turmoil in him had to be resolved and starting at the beginning seemed the best course, so Dudley forced himself to remember his childhood.

Disconnected bits, like shorts shown on a TV emerged. A small dark-haired baby crying in a bassinet shoved in to the cupboard under the stairs. Watching that same baby sitting holding a cup, drinking the thin blue skim milk, while Dudley's mum cuddled him and fed him porridge covered in sugar.

Watching, with envy as the dark haired boy could run and jump and move unencumbered and every movement felt as if he were being stuffed in to too small clothes.

Hearing, time after time, what a freak his cousin was, how evil, how mad. Having praise heaped upon his own head, but knowing, deep down that he did not deserve it.

Soon food meant love, when it came to his mum, the more food he had the more she loved him. Gifts meant love from his loud, absent father. More and more things to fill the aching hole where 15 min of his dad's time would fit, if Vernon had ever taken the time to just sit with his son.

Then, learning that, by being cruel to Harry, his dad would notice him, a smile would play on Vernon's lips, so Dudley began to make a habit of being cruel.

School, not looking or feeling like any of the other children, being scared and mot likening it. Finding that a few admired him if he bullied and refused to learn what the teachers wanted to teach.

It slowly dawned on Dudley that he was essentially illiterate, sure that word would not come in to his life until much later, but he knew he did not know what he should, not how to read properly, how to do maths and not a clue about the country he lived in, how it ran, how it started.

So he asked for some spending cash, Petunia produced it happily thinking he was off to the local sweet shop. Instead he headed to the bookstore and bought a level one workbook and a set of pencils.

Slowly, with help from Dingle, who had a keen mind, he began to work his way through dozens of those books.

Petunia clucked and fussed, insisting he would ruin his eyes, so he stopped working on them at the cottage, except in the worst of weather, instead he went to the local library every afternoon. There he met a kind librarian who found him books to improve his reading and expand his knowledge.

The simple, first readers gave way, eventually, to the kings and queens of England, how electricity works, your government and you.

Tinkering around on Hestia's brothers farms he found a real interest in mechanical things, and found he had a knack for fixing them.

This was a departure from the spoiled brat that would toss a broken item and demand a replacement. He began to ask his dad about grunnings and the type of bits and bobs they made. For the first time in his life his dad spent time with him, interacting. Dudley got a hold of catalogs and books and his da would teach him what the various parts were and tell a bit about how they were made.

He also learned about the history of the magical people and their society. How their government ran, Hestia and he had marvelous discussions comparing muggle and magical ways.

As Dudley's mind expanded his body began to shrink, more of that next.

…..

AN- I hope you like it so far.


	3. enlightenment

Dudley hid a smile as he watched his father waddling from the loo rapidly toward the bedroom he and Petunia shared.

Things had come to a head a little over a month ago. Vernon who could not go to his job at Grunnings, for obvious safety reasons, had become increasingly rude and demanding, treating everyone as if they were his servants. Hestia had finally had enough and ordered him to either show respect in HER home or go to his room and stay.

Petunia immediately joined in the fray and demanded that Hestia appologize or she, Petunia would not cook another meal or clean another item. Hestia's response of "Thank Godric!" Was not what his mum had expected. Now she and his dad kept to their room. Awful, greasy smells radiated out from there, somehow she had gotten hold of a hotplate, microwave and small icebox, all of which ran off of magic, Dudley suspected Dedalus had gotten them to keep somewhat of a peace in the little cottage.

At first his mum had tried to get him to barricade himself in with them but he declined and hardly saw his parents except to say good morning and good night. Instead he enjoyed Hestia and Dedalus' company. The broadcasts of Potter Watch became very important to all three of them.

Hestia and Dedalus could not share what they learned at Order meetings, as they did not want Dudley to be in any more danger than he already was, but could and did share other news with him.

Petunia and Vernon made a loud and large show of not wanting to know anything other than when they could go back to their lives, although Dudley had seen his mum peeking around the corner of the hall when there was news to be had.

Hestia began to teach Dudley how to cook; she preferred to cook without magic and passed her considerable knowledge on to him.

Much of the ingredients were fresh from her brother's farms, or had been put up from the summer's bounty.

For the first time Dudley was learning what different foods really tasted like, how to use spices, instead of lard, cream or butter, to enhance a dish.

Evenings were spent quietly, reading or listening to the wireless. As the months wore on and the weather deepened Dudley bought a map of England at the village bookstore and began marking the reported sightings of Harry.

He knew that not all of them were true, if any, but it made him feel just a bit better.

Dudley's shrinking size proved to be a bit of a problem, until he decided to frequent the local men's shop. The clothes were plain and very serviceable, well suited to the outdoor life the area's inhabitants enjoyed.

Christmas was tense; the Order saw to all their financial needs and even gave them a bit for present buying. But Petunia would not venture to the village so the only real presents were from himself, Dedalus and Hestia.

Vernon grumbled at not being able to have their usual heavy fare, which was amusing considering he had gained so much weight that he now lounged about on pajama bottoms and bathrobe.

On the other had Petunia seemed to become alarmingly thinner. Dudley insisted that the doctor be called in and he frankly told Dudley that his parents were both suffering from a deep depression. Neither would take medication he prescribed as they did not trust him, (as he lived easily in both the magical and muggle worlds).

Dudley did his best to try and engage his parents but finally gave it up as a bad job.

So the winter dragged by, news of the wizarding world became bleaker and bleaker. It amazed Dudley how different it was in the muggle world. There was literally a war going on under their noses and the average Britain had no idea.

He began to wonder if, for all those years, he had not noticed all things magical, what else was he missing. Soon his forays in the library included political tomes, social cause's pamphlets and world news.

Because of his heightened awareness his anxiety for Harry increased. Winter gave way to spring and tension was high in the little house.

AN - This looks as if it will be a short story. I'm not done yet, after all the Dursleys can't just go home immediately after the battle, there will still be death eaters on the loose. Also I'd like to see how the whole Dursley clan reacts to the end.


	4. the end and begining

It had finally come to a head on the long anxiety filled day in May. The waiting for news was the worst, at last, as the sun rose, word came that Voldemort had been defeated by Harry. The victory had come at a horrible price, so many dead. But Dudley's heart had lightened, he still had a chance to see Harry, to appologize and try to make things right.

Of course Vernon had wanted to return to privet drive immediately, it had taken some talking to convince him that death eaters still roamed free and they must bide a bit longer in their sanctuary. As it was fall was well upon the land before they returned home.

Petunia clucked and scrubbed the house from top to bottom, Vernon had squeezed into an old suit and returned to work, and Dudley had begun a job on the loading dock at Grunnings.

Hestia kept in touch and through her he heard all the news of Harry, after a bit he worked up the courage to contact his cousin, that's when he met Teddy and fell under the baby's spell.

His Da never did refer to the time they had been in hiding again, and pretended he never had a nephew that had lived with them. His mum, with a large bit of Dudley laying on the guilt, did attend Harry and Ginny's wedding.

Dudley and Harry became friends and Teddy became truly Dudley's nephew in all but blood. Unfortunately Dudley chose poorly when it came to a wife and suffered for it.

But never, as long as he lived, did he ever hide from the truth. His eyes remained open until closed in anticipation of the next great adventure. Waiting for him in his happy place was the Aunt he had never met.

…

AN it looks as if this plot bunny has run its course. If you would like to read more about Dudley, Teddy and Harry try my Uncle Dudley and/or Teddy.


End file.
